SEATTLE (AP) -- Homes across north Seattle were rattled by an explosion Monday morning that destroyed a house and sent two residents to a hospital.

Two hours later, firefighters were still putting out hot spots and two dozen homes were evacuated while Puget Sound Energy crews worked to stop a natural gas leak, Fire Department spokesman Kyle Moore said.

Metro buses were brought in to shelter residents from the rain.

The explosion around 6 a.m. broke windows in the neighborhood where debris rained down.

Arriving firefighters found the house in flames and a man and woman in their 50s with burns, Moore said. They were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The woman has life threatening injuries; the man is in serious condition.